A well-known political activist and Christian convert was recently arrested during a violent raid on his home by “approximately 200 armed security personnel”, according to the organisation to which he belongs.

The “unprecedented” raid on Mohammad Nikbakht’s home took place on 14 March, the National Decision Council said in a statement calling for his “immediate and unconditional release”.

Mohammad, who has been arrested on multiple occasions for his activism and was once shot several times during a failed assassination attempt, is reported to have been transferred to Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison.

A petition demanding his release calls him “more than just an Iranian political and human rights activist; he is a beacon of hope, a courageous voice for justice, and a Christian believer whose faith strengthens his commitment to truth and human dignity”.

Mohammad was “brutally beaten … in front of his terrified family” and “faces an immediate and serious threat to his life”, it says.

The petition calls on the UN, democratic governments worldwide and international human rights and religious freedom organisations to “take immediate and decisive action” to “ensure his immediate safety”, and to “publicly warn Iranian authorities that Mohammad Nikbakht’s life must be protected and that they will be held fully accountable for any harm”.

“Mohammad’s faith, combined with his activism, makes him especially vulnerable,” it adds. “The Iranian regime relies on silence to continue its abuses. Activists and religious minorities are often targeted in isolation, away from the eyes of the world. Mohammad Nikbakht’s name must not disappear into that silence. Global attention can save his life.”

The National Decision Council is a political group with members inside and outside Iran that was established in 2022 and calls for a complete transition from the Islamic Republic to a democratic system and the full implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.